News Photo by Steve Schulwitz New Alpena County Director and Veterans Service Officer Dan Perge poses for a picture in front of the DAV logos at the Alpena County Department of Veterans Services on Tuesday. Perge, a native of Flint, said he intends to help as many veterans as possible take advantage of the office and services it offers.

ALPENA — New Alpena County Director and Veterans Service Officer Dan Perge intends to continue to provide support for veterans in the county, as well as their families who often depend on assistance from his office.

Perge, who was previously a veterans service officer for the county, accepted the job in January after former Director George Stevens retired. He said Stevens trained him and showed him the ropes for managing budgets, dealing with the county, and working to solve problems for veterans.

When Stevens retired, Perge said he was ready to take on more responsibility, and now that he is hired, intends to hold the position for many years.

“I already knew a lot of what the job was,thanks to George, so the transition was really seamless,” he said. “He introduced me to a lot of stuff that I really wouldn’t have done as a veterans officer.”

Perge grew up in Flint, and joined the Air Force in 1991 and married in 1992. After bouncing around a bit, and becoming a father to two daughters, Perge decided to move to Alpena after he retired from the military. He said moving to Florida was also considered, but Alpena won out.

“I had friends that lived up here, so when I was getting ready to retire, we looked at Florida, because my mother lives there, and Michigan, because we both have family here,” Perge said. “We didn’t really want to move back to Flint or a bigger city, so we decided on Alpena.”

Moving forward, Perge said, he wants to promote the office and the service it provides to veterans, their spouses, and other family members. He said there are a lot of veterans who need assistance, but many are unaware what is available to them, and how to acquire it. Lending a hand, and helping them navigate the government red tape involved in applying for benefits.

“We need to raise awareness in the community and let them know we are here and what we do,” Perge said. “We really just want to provide the best service we can to the veterans and survivors who come in here.”

To help with the caseload, the county hired former Presque Isle Veterans Counselor Bill Stypick to work under Perge. Perge said the two men have worked well in tandem with one another, which they believe will benefit more veterans in a shorter amount of time.

“We both plan to be here for the foreseeable future and we hit the ground running together,” he said. “I think we have been a pretty good team so far.”